Little Bit
by Nautical Paramour
Summary: A Christmas short story. Sirius, back from the veil, wants different things in life, like a wife and a family. When he tries to play a practical joke on his mother's portrait involving Hermione and a bit of Black family jewelry, he gets more than he bargained for! Sirius/Hermione.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Here is a little Sirimione holiday action. This will be four parts, coming out on Fridays, through Christmas. I hope that you enjoy and I would love to hear what you think about chapter one! Be on the lookout for chapter two next week.

This was somewhat inspired by the song "Little Bit" by Lykke Li, which you should definitely check out!

* * *

 **Hands down, I'm too proud for love**

 **But with eyes shut, it's you I'm thinking of**

The Christmas Holidays had fallen on Number 12 Grimmauld Place with a swiftness never before possessed. It was the first Christmas after the War had ended, and everyone was done with mourning. They wanted to celebrate to their hearts content, leaving behind the sadness and death that had permeated the previous year.

Hermione thought back to the Christmas before, when she and Harry had gone to Godric's Hollow. It felt like ages ago.

So much had changed since then. She had accepted Harry's offer to move into Grimmauld Place with him and they began the process of redecorating the place to make it more inviting and to rid it of bad memories. Once the rooms were habitable again, Teddy Lupin, still just a baby began spending more and more time there. It turned out that raising a child was too much for Andromeda, after losing her husband and only daughter.

But the biggest change had to be the fact that Sirius Black had come back from the veil. Apparently, when Bellatrix had been killed, he came tumbling out from the other side. Shocked, the Unspeakables had taken him to St. Mungo's to be looked over and tested on. After their curiosities were slaked, he was allowed to go home, having been assured that they'd informed Harry of his return. Hermione thought about the night he'd stumbled home.

...

It was in the middle of the night when he finally made it back to Grimmauld Place. He was tired and stumbled into his room, where Hermione was snoozing unknowingly. She had moved into his room after they'd redecorated, wanting to give Harry and Ginny as much privacy as possible. Sirius, thinking Harry had somehow procured him a woman, had just smiled and slipped into bed with the woman, bringing one of his hands up to cup her breast.

Sirius had not been prepared for the girl to scream bloody murder, waking up a tiny baby in the room, who also began to wail at full pitch. The girl had stood up and grabbed the child, placing him on her hip, shushing him.

That was when Sirius realized that _this woman_ was none other than Hermione Granger. The healers had told him that a few years had gone by, but he didn't realize that the years would be so kind to Hermione Granger, the bossy little swot who he'd argued with when she was sixteen.

When the baby finally quieted, Sirius looked at her and asked. "Whose...?"

Hermione seemed to understand and told him with a small smile. "Remus." She kissed the tiny tot's hair, which was currently matching Hermione's curly brown.

A grin spread on his face. "Nice one, Moony. I didn't know he had it in him, you being a student and all." Sirius told her.

Before she could correct him, Harry had burst through the door, wand at the ready. "Hermione? Are you okay?" His eyes scanned the room before settling on Sirius's face. "Sirius?"

Sirius stood and hugged Harry tightly. "Oh, Harry. You've grown so much." Hermione felt like she was intruding on a very private moment, and looked down at Teddy, wiping the tears from his little eyes.

"What was all the commotion?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I think Sirius wasn't expecting anyone to be in his bed." Hermione told Harry. "It gave Teddy and I a right fright. I was just introducing Sirius to Teddy." Hermione looked Sirius in the eye, hoping to straighten things out. "Sirius, this is Teddy Lupin. He is Remus and Tonks's son." Hermione watched as realization swept over his face, followed by a light blush of the cheeks. She couldn't believe that he had thought that she'd had a baby with Professor Lupin.

...

It still made Hermione blush even all these months later. She'd insisted on Sirius having his old room back and had instead settled into the room across the hall. She was surprised that he decided to stay at Grimmauld Place at all, since the last time he was there, effectively for his whole life, the house had been a prison.

But now, a lot of things about Sirius had changed. When Hermione knew him last, he had been bitter and paranoid, likely depressed, and Harry was the only thing that made him even remotely happy. Now, he had a new lust for life, a zeal that was very attractive to Hermione.

Honestly, he was always attractive to Hermione. With his perfect nose and cheekbones, piercing, mercurial gray eyes, and wavy, dark hair, he cut quite the dashing figure. And now, sometime between August and December, Hermione had fallen irrevocably in love with him.

It was really embarrassing, honestly. She didn't have anyone she could talk to about it, as it seemed so scandalous. Ginny was too obsessed with her own relationship with Harry to give it much consideration, and even if she did, Ginny still insisted that Hermione and Ron belonged together, despite the fact that Ron was dating Lavender.

Sirius was a bit older than her, but then again, Hermione had always been mature for her age. He purposefully would rile her up, trying to get her into an argument that would leave her blood boiling and pupils blown, wondering what it would be like to be on the receiving end of his lusty passions.

He was everything that she wanted in a man, really. He was intelligent, brave, and smart. He held his own ground. He was beyond attractive, tall, dark and handsome personified. He even liked reading, Hermione had been surprised to learn, as he had taken to reading on the little couch in the library with her, keeping her silent company, and sometimes debating topics with her. Sometimes, he would come in as padfoot and curl up into a ball next to her, never saying anything when he fingers scratched behind his ears absentmindedly.

He remembered little things about her, like her favorite flowers, which he had given to her on her birthday, along with a gorgeous planner, embroidered with her initials. He was incredibly helpful with Teddy and was always sharing funny stories from when Harry was a baby.

She'd actually realized that she was in love with him during Harry and Ginny's engagement party. Almost all of their acquaintances were paired up together, leaving them as some of the few singletons. Sirius had, surprisingly, asked her to dance after dance, and held her body against his, his body's heat bleeding into her through the fabric separating them. He'd placed his hand low on her back, high enough to be appropriate, but low enough to hint at more.

He'd dutifully asked her about what was going on in her life, and did she read the new Transfiguration Quarterly, and what did she think about the new law abolishing muggleborn prejudice. He listened to all of her answers dutifully, laughing along at her dry humor, all while memorizing her face, his gray eyes enrapturing her own.

It had been perfect.

Until Ron Weasley came up and had to ruin the evening, and ensuring Hermione _knew_ that Sirius could never want her. "Thanks for looking after Hermione for us tonight." He had said with a big smile on his face, patting Sirius on the back. "Now that Harry and I are attached we can't be filling up her dance card, and we'd hate to have Hermione all alone by herself."

Sirius looked between the two of them, looking a bit guilty, sending Hermione's heart plummeting. "Yeah, it's no problem to spend the evening with such a beautiful young woman."

Hermione was gutted, knowing that he still saw her as a little girl, and he'd done it out of some misplaced obligation to Harry and Ron. She'd left the party shortly after, not bothering to stop when Sirius called after her.

But still...

When she was in bed at night, her mind would traitorously offer the memory of his hard body pressed against her back, his warm hand cupping her breast. She would let her hand repeat the action on her bare breast, pinching her nipple between two fingers, gasping in delight. She'd let her fingers trail down her bare stomach, before slipping them into her panties, to bring herself to gasping orgasm, Sirius's face in her mind.

Oh, how she wished she hadn't screamed that night. How far would he have gone? Probably only so far as to realize who she was, Hermione thought bitterly.

But then, she'd be reminded about how he'd said "Nice one, Moony" when he'd thought that Remus had fathered a child with her. Maybe he thought that she was a bit of a catch. Yeah right, Hermione thought to herself, as if that would ever happen.

* * *

Sirius Black had been shocked to return home to find little Hermione Granger tucked in his bed the night that he returned, but since then he hadn't been able to stop thinking about it, and how to get her back there.

If someone had told him before he went into the veil that he would be lusting after Granger of all people, he would have slapped them silly. But now, he pitifully could admit to himself, she was everything that he could possibly want.

She was smart and kind, had a bit of a mean streak, and she looked absolutely stunning when he argued with her. Her pupils would dilate and stare at him, her breath would quicken and her chest would heave, showing off those lovely tits of hers. His mind was only too happy to remind him of what those looked like.

When she'd first hopped out of bed, he'd taken a moment to look at her. She'd only been wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of knickers, and he'd been able to see the faint pinkness of her nipples, hard beneath the cotton due to the sudden cold of leaving the covers. She'd looked so beautiful.

And then, he initially had thought that she was Moony's woman. Honestly, it had surprised him that Remus would have been with her, but he would be lying if he said he didn't see it. He had been simultaneously happy for his friend, and disappointed that he wouldn't get a chance to see what Hermione was made of. Then he'd learned that they hadn't been together, and that instead his friend was dead, along with his wife...Sirius still felt a stab of guilt at his assumptions and greed.

Now, he loved to watch Hermione with Teddy. She was really natural around him, which was somewhat surprising. He would have thought that Ginny Weasley would be the more motherly of the two girls at Grimmauld Place, but nothing could have been more opposite. He was happy to see that his little cousin was being so well cared for.

Before he went into the veil, the idea of having a family was not a desire that he'd ever had before. As a teenager, he was interested in getting it in with as many girls as possible. He'd hated his own family and had surrounded himself with friends, girls and booze. Then when he'd escaped Azkaban, he no longer could feel the closeness to other people. The only important thing to him was keeping Harry safe.

But now, now that he'd come back to life a second time, he felt revitalized. He wanted to love and be loved, something he was sure had never happened before. Seeing Hermione play with Teddy made him realize that he wanted his own family, and he wanted a family with her. He wanted to hold her every night and wake up next to her every morning. He wanted her belly to swell with _his_ child and he wanted her to carry around _their_ child in her arms, just like she did with Teddy.

She really had grown into a beautiful woman, with her light brown hair in curly bedroom hair that look so natural on her. Her amaretto colored eyes were constantly flashing with her laughter and mischievousness, making him felt that he could just stare into them all night. She had the cutest constellation of freckles across the bridge of her nose. And her lips...her lips were the most inviting shade of pink, with just enough plumpness to make him wonder how they'd feel wrapped around his...

Every time he went through this line of thought, Sirius just ended up feeling like a dirty old man. Even though the veil had suspended his aging, he was still a decade older than her and it felt wrong for him to be panting after her like an old dog.

He found himself, seeking her out, and loved to stay up late in the library, just talking with her. She had a little smile that he liked to think was just for him, but in his heart he knew that she was just being nice to him. He would often let his mind wander back to the time in the library, when she had a bit too much firewhiskey. She'd moved to sit next to him to look over the journal article he'd want to show her, and before long, her eyes were drooping and her head dropped to his shoulder in sleep.

Merlin, he'd wanted to stay like that forever. Still, he did the dutiful thing, after a few minutes, and gently nudged her awake. She'd sat up, her cheeks pink with embarrassment, and apologized to him. Then, she'd stood up from the couch, kissing him on the cheek, and heading to bed. It was simultaneously the best thing and the worst thing for him. He finally got to know exactly how soft and how plump her lips were, and he wore the memory of them like a tattoo. Then, he'd remind himself that she only saw him as some kind of kindly uncle and nothing like a potential lover, no matter how much his heart could hope.

So, he kept his thoughts to himself, but he still couldn't help but try to argue with her and play practical jokes on her, just to see her eyes dilate in passion, because then, he could pretend that it was love in her eyes.

* * *

Grimmauld Place was being decorated from top to bottom for the Christmas holiday, with everyone lending a hand. It had been decided that Christmas dinner would be held there in a fortnight, so things were quite busy.

Sirius and Harry were upstairs in the attic, looking through boxes to see if the Blacks had any baubles or ornaments worth decorating with. Ginny and Lavender were decorating the dining room and shining the silverware to its former glory. Ron was trying his best to hang Christmas lights and holly outside without magic, with Arthur.

Hermione had ensconced herself in the library, where the tree had been placed. She hung stockings from the mantle of the newly refurbished fireplace, each one knitted with care my Molly Weasley. A muggle record player was running in the room, giving her pleasant music to work to. Sirius had gotten one, knowing that bringing a muggle device into the house would upset his mother's portrait.

Hermione had been glad and had told the group how much she adored records, and how it reminded her of listening to Bing Crosby's White Christmas on her grandparents' record player when she was little. Her heart had swelled when the next day, Sirius had brought back a copy of the album. She knew that it didn't _mean_ anything, he was just trying to be nice.

Still, she appreciated it, and listening to the sad tones of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" had her humming along, wrapping lights around the tree. It really felt like this would be the first truly happy Christmas in many years.

She could smell the sugar cookies that Molly was baking in the kitchen with Teddy, currently, and Hermione couldn't wait to sit around the fire later tonight, to share a glass of eggnog and rum with everyone and talk about what they wanted for Christmas. Oh, if only she could have what she really wanted for Christmas...

But somehow she didn't think that over six feet of Sirius Black would be in her stocking Christmas morning, even though she was sure to make the nice list.

Before she let her thoughts get too dark, she set out putting up some new ornaments on the tree. To keep her mind occupied, she placed them by hand, rather than using magic. After a few moments, she heard excited tromping down the stairs. That'll be the boys, then, Hermione thought with a smile.

Soon, Sirius and Harry burst through the library door. "Find anything worthwhile, boys?" Hermione asked, not looking up from her task. She knew that they both hated to be called boys. They were manly, men after all.

She could practically feel Sirius's grin across the room, even though he wasn't looking at her. "I found the best thing for the best practical joke ever." He told her proudly.

Hanging the last ornament, she turned around to look at them. With one eyebrow raised, Hermione asked. "Oh, yes? And what is it that you found?"

"It's my great-great something or other great-grandma Ursula's engagement ring. Mother was always looking for it when I was a child." Sirius said with a smile. Deciding to press his luck, he couldn't stop himself from asking. "So, Hermione, do you want to help me play a prank on my mother's portrait?"

Knowing where this was going, Harry gave the pair a worried look. "I don't know if this is the best idea, Sirius."

"Come on, it will be fun." Sirius complained.

Hermione smiled. "Alright, I'm game, I suppose." She said, disregarding Harry's worried glance. "What do you need me to do?"

With a flourish, Sirius took to the floor with one knee in front of Hermione. Then, reaching into his pocket he pulled a ring with a huge emerald, flanked by little diamonds on the side. It was stunning and spectacular. Then for his own perverse bit of masochism, he asked the question that he wished he could be asking her for real. "Hermione _Jean_ Granger, will you marry me?" He asked, grinning up at her madly, trying to disguise the wild beating in his heart.

Hermione looked shocked and a little bit excited at the same time. The ring was stunning, and she felt silly as she nodded her head yes, allowing him to slip the ring onto her left ring finger. It fit her like a glove and it felt so right sitting there.

Standing, Sirius gave her a kiss on the cheek and twirled her around in a circle. Harry looked on, a tad horrified. "Well, come on then." Sirius said after finally setting her back down on her own two feet, memorizing the feel of her pressed against him. "Shall we go introduce Walburga to her future daughter in law?" He asked with a conspiratorial wink.

Hermione felt her heart sink and hoped that he disappointment didn't show on her face. One look at Harry's green eyes though told her that it was all too clear to her best friend. She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment.

Still, Sirius grabbed her hand and dragged her to the front of the house where Sirius's mother's portrait slept silently. Opening the little curtain, Walburga instantly began shrieking about the filth in the house and how Sirius was a stain on the house of her father.

Sirius stood there calmly, smirking while she ranted and raved at the pair of them. Hermione cringed, feeling the weight of all of Walburga's nasty words. Once she'd tired herself out, the portrait quieted and only then did Sirius engage her. "Mother, I have come to tell you some exciting news!" He said cheerfully. "You remember Hermione, don't you?"

"Of course! Filthy mudblood tramping all over my father's house like she owns the place." Walburga spat at Hermione, making the girl shiver.

"Well, we wanted you to be the first to know that..." Sirius trailed off, his grin getting wider and wider. "I've asked Hermione here to marry me, and she has accepted." Sirius pulled her left hand up and kissed her knuckles, letting the portrait get a good look at the emerald ring.

"Is that...Ursula Black's ring?" Walburga gasped, clearly affronted.

"Why yes mother, it is." Sirius said, innocently. "I was cleaning the attic today and I found it. I took one look at it and I just _knew_ it was perfect for my Hermione."

"No!" Walburga hissed. "How dare you desecrate such an heirloom with this muggle filth! Disgusting! Lower than a swine! Take her from my sight at once." Walburga demanded.

"As you wish, mother." Sirius said, beginning to close the curtains once again. "Oh, I am sure we will be back soon to let you know about any future grandchildren you can expect. You know I am so keen on continuing the Black line." That declaration set of a fresh wave of shouts and hisses.

Sirius just laughed and sent a silencing spell at the old bird. "Sorry about that, I know she was awful to you, but I think it was worth it to see the look on her face. Please don't take what she said to heart, Hermione."

Hermione nodded, giving Sirius a sad smile. She knew as well as he did how much Walburga's words could cut deep. "It's fine." Then she looked up at him. "Are you actually keen on having children, Sirius?"

Sirius paused for a moment. "I think that I would like to have children, but I don't have any immediate plans right now." He said quietly. It was the first time that he was admitting it out loud, but he felt like he could tell Hermione anything.

Hermione looked a bit surprised, but not shocked. "I think you would make a wonderful father." She told him, honesty shining in her brown eyes.

"Do you really?" He asked her. He didn't think anyone would think that. He felt as reckless and irresponsible as an eighteen year old sometimes still.

"Yes, you do remarkably well with Teddy." She said, thinking of all the times that she'd seen Sirius reading to Teddy, even though he couldn't really understand the books yet. Seeing them together made her heart ache.

"Well, I think you'd make an amazing mother, Hermione." Sirius told her. He loved watching her playing with Teddy. She always made the toddler laugh and giggle. "Not that I'm asking...or anything like that." He added awkwardly. He felt awful when he saw her shoulders slump a little. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel bad.

When they returned to the library, they found that Harry was still there, eating some just frosted sugar cookies. "How did it go?"

"Didn't you hear? She blew a gasket." Sirius said, with obvious pride on his face.

"Oh, I did hear alright." Harry said, returning the grin. It was awfully easy to wind Walburga up, but Sirius delighted in it. "Hermione, why are you still wearing the ring?"

Hermione blushed. She had been enjoying the fantasy of being Sirius's fiancee, even if it was only momentary. She didn't want to take off the ring. It felt so right on her finger and it was truly exquisite. She reached for the ring, taking it between her fingers and pulling. To her absolute astonishment, it wasn't budging. "I can't take it off."

"Haha, I know that it's beautiful Hermione, but..." Harry trailed off, probably trying to spare her feelings.

Hermione tugged harder at the ring, but all she felt was nearly unbearable pressure when she tried to remove it. "No, I mean it's stuck." She said, a bit of panic bleeding into her voice.

Sirius looked at her in concern. "Maybe I have to take it off, since I put it on." He grabbed her tiny hand in his large one and gave the ring a firm tug, but still, it stayed firmly on her finger. Swearing quietly under his breath, he muttered a lubricating spell on the ring, but still, it wouldn't budge from her finger.

Harry watched on, getting progressively more and more upset. "What the hell, Sirius? Did you give her a cursed piece of jewelry?" Harry took Hermione's hand in his own and tugged on the ring with all his might. He was nearly in a panic by the time he gave up.

Sirius paled. "Fuck, Hermione, I'm sorry. I promise we will get this sorted out." He took her hand back in his, as a sign of reassurance.

Hermione met his gray eyes with sadness and insecurity. "Maybe it's because I'm a mudblood?" She asked tentatively.

Sirius's eyes were ablaze with annoyance. "Never call yourself that Hermione." He demanded, running his thumb on the palm of her hand in a surprisingly intimate gesture.

Hermione felt her face heat up at being this close to the man that she'd fancied for months now. She almost wanted to ask him what the harm was in her continuing to wear it. But then, her heart sank, knowing that Sirius didn't really want to marry her, or be engaged at all.

"I think I remember there being a book in here about family artifacts." Sirius told her. "I bet if we find it, we'll figure out how to get it off." Sirius told her.

Hermione nodded and they began to look on the bookshelf for it. "What do you know about the ring, Sirius?"

"Just that it's over a century old and that Phineas Nigellus had it specially commissioned for his wife Ursula. She was a Flint." He recited from memory, and shook his head from all the family history lessons he'd been forced to memorize as a child.

They looked quietly for a few moments, Harry angrily huffing every now and again in frustration, before Sirius finally found the book. It was black and emblazoned with the Black Family Crest on the front. "Here it is. Black Family Inventory of Goods." He read from the cover.

Hermione looked intrigued by the book, and so Sirius reached out his arm with the large book, so that she might take a look at it. The moment her fingers contacted the book at the same time as his, they were enveloped in a bright blue light. They locked eyes for a moment before the world started to get a bit dim.

And then they were gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Wow! Response to this was **way** more than what I expected! Over 100 follows and nearly 50 favorites! Huge thanks to my reviewers as well: Guest, Pwrmom2, Guest, Anja . quickert . 9, twztdwildcat, QueenOThieves, siriusbarks, sdrlana21, pianomouse, Elle Ryder, everlastingtrueromance, HMRoberts, ashash52009, Guest and Lcky! Thank you all so much!

I would love love love to hear what you thought about some of the characters I've introduced in this chapter. Please let me know what you thought of chapter two and be on the lookout for chapter three next week!

* * *

 **I will never ever be the first to say it, but still I - you know I, I, I...**

Hermione woke up slowly, hearing a pair of voices whisper. What had happened to her? Had the book been cursed too? Had Sirius been hurt at all? Struggling to open her eyes, she heard one of the voices say, "Look! They are starting to wake up."

Hermione opened her eyes only to be greeted by the blurry outline of two children. Frowning, she blinked a few times. "Where am I?"

The little boy smiled at her. "You're at Grimmauld Place!" He gave her a toothy grin.

Hermione's confusion only grew. "Is Sirius here? Is he okay?" She asked, concerned for the man of her affections. Had he been hurt by the blast as well?

"Sirius?" The little girl asked. "I better go get mum and dad." The scampered out, leaving Hermione with the little boy.

Slowly, she tried to sit up, and saw Sirius lying on the ground next to her, his eyes still fluttering open. The book that they'd been holding was nowhere to be found. Hermione sighed in relief seeing Sirius's gray eyes finally open and slowly focus on her.

Turning back to the little boy she asked him. "Who are you?"

He didn't hesitate in telling her. "My name's Cygnus! I'm nine." He had blond hair and gray eyes, but he shared Sirius's nose and general facial structure. "Who are you?"

"My name is Hermione. I'm nineteen." She told him, still wary of the situation. "Is your name Cygnus Black?"

"How did you know?" The little boy asked with absolute wonder.

Before Hermione could answer, a woman with hair so red it was nearly brown swept into the room with a tall man following behind her. Hermione's heart sank when she realized who it was. It was none other than Phineas Nigellus Black, and the woman, must be Ursula, Hermione thought.

Luckily, Sirius was finally well enough to sit up and look around. "Well, he's obviously a Black." Phineas told her, with a scowl. "But who are you?"

Hermione frowned, trying to remember the depth of Phineas's hatred of muggleborns in the forefront of her mind. She wanted to get out of this place alive. "I'm Hermione Granger. And this is Sirius Black."

"Oh." Ursula said quietly. "When Belvina told me that you were asking for Sirius I thought you meant my son." The little girl from before peaked out from behind her mother's back, giving Hermione a small smile.

Sirius, finally ready to join the conversation, calmly asked the pair. "What year is it?"

"1898 of course." Phineas responded, still trying to make an assessment about the young woman in his library.

"Oh, fuck it all." Sirius said, which earned him a scolding from Ursula. "We are from 1998." Sirius said, patting Hermione on the arm, comfortingly.

That seemed to draw Ursula's attention to the ring on Hermione's finger. "Oh, Phineas! Look at her finger! It's my ring!" She was absolutely gushing with happiness. "Come, let's go to the dining room. I will have Titania bring us a tea service."

Phineas still scowled, but let Ursula lead the confused pair, and her two children into the dining room of Grimmauld Place. Hermione was surprised by how warm and inviting it seemed. She realized that it must still be fairly new. "How long have you been living here?" Hermione asked.

"Well, Phineas and I moved here a bit after he started work at Hogwarts. The manor house was too much for me to take care of all by myself, with him being gone most of the year." Ursula prattled on. "Is it still in the family?" She asked Sirius.

"Yes, I grew up here." Sirius said with a gruff voice, leading Hermione to elbow him in the side. It didn't do them any good to offend their new hosts.

"Wonderful!" Ursula delighted. Hermione mused that she didn't look at all like the only Flint she knew, who was rather troll like and mean. "Titania!" She called, and a little house elf appeared. Hermione felt Sirius grab her hand and squeeze, knowing that she was rather outspoken about her feelings on house elves.

Still, Hermione said nothing while Ursula ordered tea service and the little elf brought back a tray moment later. Phineas muttered about needing to do some work in the study and meeting them later for dinner, so he took his tea to go. The rest of them, Belvina, Cygnus, Ursula, Hermione and Sirius sat down at the table.

"So, have you been engaged long?" Ursula asked them with a serene smile. Cygnus and Belvina looked bored with the wedding discussion, but were too curious about Sirius to leave.

Hermione smiled. "Just today, actually. We were just looking into some more information in the library about the ring, when he were brought back here." She patted her hand on Sirius's arm, and hoped that he didn't mind enough to play along. After all, he got her into this mess.

"Well, hasn't it been passed down generation to generation?" Ursula said, perplexed.

Sirius filled in the gaps. "Actually, I just recently found the ring. It's been lost long since before I was born. But I took one look at it and knew that it was meant for Hermione." He gave her a sweet smile that made Hermione's heart stutter. Oh, how she longed for him to tell it to her true.

Ursula frowned. "Well, I'm glad that it's been located." The five of them finished their tea in relative silence, but before long the children squirming with anxiousness. "My, I must say that fashions have changed considerably in the next century." She said staring at Hermione's green sweater dress and Sirius's muggle blue jeans and gray sweater. "Belvina, why don't you take Hermione to your room. She can stay with you while we figure out how to send them back. I will bring something down for you to wear to dinner. Sirius, I can show you to the guest room."

Ursula stood, ushering them from the parlor. "Dinner will be in about an hour. My other two sons, Arcturus and Sirius -" Ursula broke off to give Sirius a huge grin, "will be joining us."

Cygnus smiled at them before piping up. "I have another brother called Phineas!" Sirius gave Hermione a poignant look. "But he fell in love with a Muggle, so now he's not allowed to live with us."

Ursula practically hissed. "Hush, Cyg. If you're father hears you spouting that nonsense again, you will be in a big trouble, mister."

Belvina grinned at Hermione and linked her arm in Hermione's before taking them to her bedroom. Hermione was surprised to be lead to the room that she had Ginny shared at one point. "Well, I suppose I'll split the bed then?" Hermione asked Belvina. "I doubt you'd want to share with a stranger."

Waving her wand, Belvina watched in awe at the transfiguration Hermione performed to split the large bed into two equally sized bed with the same number of pillows and blankets. "Wow! Did you learn how to do that at Hogwarts?"

Hermione smiled at Belvina. "Yes, but not until sixth year." Hermione confessed. "Though, I don't know how much the curriculum has changed in the last 100 years. I suppose we could ask your father." Hermione mussed, before sitting down on her bed.

Belvina came and sat down next to her. "You must be a really powerful witch. That must be why Sirius's family accepted your betrothal so late."

Hermione understood that the little girl was somehow calling her old, but Hermione knew that she wasn't even a teenager yet, and decided to give her a pass. "Hmm, I haven't the faintest idea."

"It's very unusual, see." Belvina continued, tucking her auburn hair behind her ear. "Blacks always have betrothals. You and Sirius must love each other very much." Her dark eyes were staring at Hermione with mischievousness.

"Oh, I very much respect Sirius and he's a good friend." Hermione settled on, unable to reveal her heart's deepest feelings to a curious little girl. "So, are you already betrothed?" Hermione asked Belvina, desperate to get the attention off of her.

"Yes, I am set to marry Herbert Burke when I come of age." Belvina told her, with a proud look on her face.

"Really? But you can't be very old?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"I am twelve, but I will be thirteen in April. I was born on Walpurgis Night, a most auspicious day, so I have had many offers of marriage, but father knows Herbert's father, and so they decided that we should be married." Belvina told her matter-of-factly.

Hermione barely hid her grimace at the idea that this might be the mother or grandmother of the owner of Borgin and Burke's. Before Hermione could ask her another question, Belvina gave her a small, questioning look. "Hermione, may I ask you a question?"

Hermione looked at the girl with confusion before nodding in the affirmative.

"What's it like? To kiss a boy on the lips?" She asked with such curiosity, she could have been an anthropologist.

Hermione did everything so could to not burst out laughing. "Well, sometimes it can be a bit awkward, especially if you've never kissed anyone before. You might not know where to put your hands or you might find it a bit wet...but when you find the right person to kiss, everything settles into place and the rest of the world just fades away, until it's just you and that other person..." Hermione trailed off wistfully, thinking of how nice it would be to kiss Sirius Black.

Belvina noted the look on her face and sighed. "And that's how you knew you loved Sirius?"

Before Hermione could correct her, Ursula waltzed into the room, carrying a dress. "Oh good! You've got the beds sorted. Now, Hermione, dear, let's get this dress on so we can tailor it to fit you."

The dress was a deep green color, with huge poofy sleeves, but with a collar that rested off the shoulder, revealing Hermione's decolletage. She pulled the dress up in the front a little, trying to hide her modest cleavage. The skirts were full, but after it was tailored, Hermione found it very comfortable, to her surprise.

Just as the girls were about to head down for dinner, Sirius knocked on the door, wearing a three piece suit with a wide tie. "Excuse me, but may I have a word with Hermione in the hall before dinner?"

Ursula gave a nod before leading Belvina down the stairs. Hermione grinned at Sirius, shutting the door to the bedroom behind her. "You look smashing, Sirius. I don't think I've ever seen you this dressed up." She told him sincerely.

Sirius gave her a weak smile, clearly uncomfortable. He was doing his best to keep his eyes on Hermione's face, and not let his gaze wander to the milky white tops of her breasts, so nicely on display in the green dress. "Likewise. Listen, this is Phineas Nigellus's family. He was really serious about the whole blood purity thing, so we will have to act like a good pureblood couple, okay?"

Hermione bit her lip. "Okay, I'll try."

"Just follow my lead." Sirius told her, offering her his arm. Hermione gladly took it, feeling like a queen on Sirius's arm. She just wished it wasn't acting.

When they reached the dining room, all of the other Blacks had already assembled around the table. Cygnus was patting the chair next to him with eagerness, wanting Sirius and Hermione to sit next to him. Once everyone was seated, Hermione was surprised to see herself seated across the table from a young Sirius. He had the same devastating gray eyes that her Sirius had, while the rest of the Blacks had dark eyes. The only difference between the two - besides their age - was that young Sirius looked really arrogant, while her Sirius was quite casually elegant.

Phineas Nigellus sat at the head of the table, scowling at his own family. "We have guests from the future here; they will be staying here until we can send them back. This is Hermione Granger and Sirius Black. Hermione, Sirius, allow me to introduce you to my other sons, Sirius and Arcturus."

Younger Sirius grinned at the pair. "So, how exactly are we related then?"

Her Sirius looked somewhat pained before counting on his fingers. "Well, you are my great grandfather." Sirius looked at younger Sirius's pained face at the prospect. Then, he turned to the bright blond hair of Cygnus. "Actually, you're my great grandfather as well!" Cygnus was much more enthused.

"Really? How does that happen?" Phineas Nigellus asked. "The Black family has always secured the most fortuitous unions."

Sirius gave a false smile to his paterfamilias. "Well, as you see...I can't really go into the details on why...but there were so few _good_ pureblooded families when my parents were young. They figured second cousins marrying was better than marrying a muggle." He patted Hermione on the knee in comfort.

"Yes, I suppose that is wise." He said, giving a hard look at Hermione. "Granger, was it? That's an unusual surname...it's not one that I recognize."

Sirius was about to answer for her, before Hermione cut in. "Well surely you've heard of my ancestor, Hector Dagworth-Granger?"

Young Sirius's eyebrows raised. "Of potioneering fame?"

"The very same." Hermione said primly. "Well, many generations ago, there were two brothers and they wanted to split their inheritance equitably, and so they split the name as well. Now there are two families, the Dagworths and the Grangers."

Sirius grabbed Hermione's hand in his own. He was proud of her for thinking so quickly on her feet. "Yes, I am so lucky to have found a witch with such excellent bloodlines, and one as powerful and academic."

Phineas seemed satisfied, finally, and let the conversation about Hermione's bloodlines drop.

Arcturus had been pushing around the food on his plate during the course of dinner, not eating anything, leading Ursula to finally chastise him. "Oh, Arcturus, I wish that you would just accept it and eat your dinner. Everything will work out marvelously."

Belvina looked at Hermione's confusion and concern and filled the whole table in on the situation. "Arcturus just got his betrothal finalized and he is very unhappy about it."

Arcturus, all black curl and black eye, scowled at the whole table. "I don't want to marry Lysandra Yaxley!" He shouted, shoving his fork down.

"What's wrong with her?" Sirius asked, forgetting himself momentarily.

"Nothing is _wrong_ with her." Phineas Nigellus groused.

"Just that she's only three years old!" Arcturus spat back at his father. "And I'm fourteen years old. It's unnatural."

Phineas Nigellus frowned at his son. "This is the way that the Black family has always done things. There are ten years in age difference between your mother and I and we get along just fine." Settling his eyes on the newly engaged couple, Phineas Nigellus pointed at them. "And see, it is the way that things will continue to be done for another century. Sirius, how old are you?"

Sirius cleared his throat. His age was so sketchy because of his years spent in the veil, but he decided to go with this true age, just to be safe. "39, this November." He told the table politely, unwilling to look at Hermione because he didn't want to see the disgust in her eyes at having to pretend to be engaged to someone as old as him.

"And Hermione, how old are you?" Phineas Nigellus asked her.

"I turned nineteen in September." She told the table.

"See! _Twenty years_ of age difference, but you don't see Hermione and Sirius complaining about their marriage, do you?" Phineas Nigellus asked his son.

Both Hermione and Sirius blushed at the idea that their relationship was somehow unacceptable due to their age difference. Neither one wanted to look at the other.

Arcturus looked at the pair of them, before his eyes settled on his mother's engagement ring on Hermione's finger. "Yeah, but they are at least in love with each other!"

Sirius and Hermione looked at one another, with shock in their eyes. How could it be that Arcturus, a boy of fourteen, was able to see through them so easily?

Still, neither one said anything to the other, and the conversation at the table moved to other topics. Sirius and Hermione sat quietly for the rest of the conversation, before Phineas Nigellus decided that dinner was over and that the men folk, minus Cygnus, who needed to go to bed, would be retiring to the library for a cigar.

Sirius readily agreed, but asked if he might accompany Hermione to her bedroom, to say goodnight, before returning to the library. Phineas Nigellus nodded, and Sirius offered her his arm again.

Just as they walked beneath the threshold of the doorway, though, they found themselves trapped, unable to leave the room. Cygnus and Belvina were giggling quietly, and when they looked back at the dining room at saw younger Sirius pointing at the top of the doorway. Sirius looked up and saw that a sprig of mistletoe was hanging there, and they wouldn't be able to leave until they engaged in a kiss.

Sirius shrugged at Hermione, whose eyes were suddenly full of passion and heavily lidded. Seeing that she agreed to some extent, Sirius took a deep breath to steel himself and dipped his head down and pressed his lips against hers. Her lips were softer than he could have imagined, and they fit together so perfectly, that the giggling of his family members disappeared, until it was just him and Hermione.

He felt her sigh into the kiss and wrap her arms around his neck, her finger tips coming up to play with the short hair at the back of his neck, causing pleasant shivers to run up and down his spine. Her lips were pliable and moved against his, giving him the courage to run his tongue along the seam of her lips, her own sweet tongue darting out to meet his.

What was this? Sirius wondered his head dizzy with lust and love for this woman in his arms. He had never dreamt that a kiss could affect him like this. He had never dreamt that Hermione Granger would reciprocate a kiss with him.

Hearing Phineas Nigellus clear his throat reminded Sirius that they had an audience, and with an embarrassed look, he broke away from Hermione, before leading her up the stairs wordlessly. When they reached her door, Sirius couldn't even meet her brown eyes and instead stared down at his feet. "I will look for the book in the library tonight if I can."

"Alright." Hermione said quietly, desperately wishing that Sirius would look at her, so that his eyes might give her some sense of how he was feeling. That kiss that affected her in ways that no other kiss had. She was tingling from her head to her toes.

"Well, sweet dreams..." Sirius trailed off in that wistful way that he did sometimes, leaving Hermione feeling utterly confused.

Alone in the room, Hermione quickly undressed and got into bed, hoping to pretend to be asleep by the time Belvina returned to the room as well. She didn't really wanted to talk about her snog with Sirius with the inquisitive young girl, when even she didn't know how she was feeling.

What was it about Sirius that always left her feeling so boneless and warm, she wondered. She could admit to herself that that was easily the best kiss she'd ever had in her life, and even now, remembering how he'd shivered under her fingertips had her pressing her thighs together in desperation for some friction.

She only wished that she wasn't sharing a room so that she might be able to get herself off to ease some of the tension.

Further, Hermione was disappointed that Sirius and her first kiss ever was a forced kiss under that awful weed. It would be different if Sirius had kissed her of his own volition, but that was preposterous, Hermione knew, as Sirius would never want to kiss her like that on his own. So maybe she should start hanging some mistletoe around Grimmauld Place when they returned, so that she might find herself underneath it again.

The door creaked open, and Hermione didn't miss the disappointed sigh Belvina gave at the sight of Hermione being asleep. Deciding that sleep was just the thing she needed, Hermione drifted off in the hopes that she would get some well needed rest.

* * *

When Sirius returned to the library, he was still buzzing from the kiss that he and Hermione had shared. It was so sweet to feel her pressed up against him like that, her essence filling his every sense. But, Sirius knew that she was just reacting in the moment, and he didn't let himself dwell on it too long.

He was not prepared to enter the library and have his great-grandfather Sirius smirking at him. "You're welcome." The young man handed him a brandy, and Sirius was barely able to resist a scowl. This was the young man that Hermione deserved. She'd probably been overwhelmed by a younger Black male; after all, he remembered how girls - even the swotty ones - reacted to him at Hogwarts.

"For what?" He asked, petulantly.

"For the mistletoe, obviously." His ancestor told him, before ushering him to the couch. Sirius had hoped to spend some time with pursuing the bookshelves. Instead, he was pulled into conversation with Phineas Nigellus.

"So, Sirius. How does it sound to have the wedding here in the library on Wednesday?" Phineas Nigellus asked, leaving a shocked Sirius.

"What do you mean? A wedding? Here?" Sirius could barely form a proper sentence.

"Well, yes, of course. Wednesday is the winter solstice - a most auspicious day." Phineas Nigellus told him. "You really couldn't have picked a better time to get engaged."

Sirius took a big swig of the brandy. "Well, I don't know...I think that Hermione and I would like to get married in front of all of our friends and family. Would our marriage even register if we get married before either one of us is technically born?"

Phineas frowned, thinking over Sirius's words. "It won't matter. After all, the house must have sent you back for a reason."

"What do you mean, the house sent us back?" Sirius asked, truly confused as to what Phineas Nigellus was suggesting. "Do you mean to tell me that Grimmauld Place is sentient?"

"Well of course, boy." Phineas Nigellus groused at him, before continuing on. "Nimue, didn't your family teach you anything about this house or the blood wards?"

"I didn't hear anything like that!" Sirius told him, truly surprised. That would have definitely come up in the lessons on family history. He would have remembered it...Merlin! Think of all the times that he'd wanked in this house.

"When we built this house, we infused all sorts of blood wards into it. The house looks after the good of the House of Black." Phineas Nigellus told him, feeling like he was speaking to an imbecile.

"That's how the family tapestry works!" Arcturus told him, smiling brightly.

Sirius had never really given much thought to the family tapestry after being burned off of it. "Ah, well, I suppose that makes sense." Sirius told him.

"So you see, if the blood wards recognize the binding, then they will be magically registered when you return to your time. Or rather, when the house returns you to your time." Phineas told Sirius confidently.

Sirius was still skeptical about the house sending them back. It wasn't a coincidence that they had been transported when they both touched the same book. Still, Sirius found himself agreeing to Phineas Nigellus anyway. "Alright, Wednesday sounds good then. Just let me figure out the best course of action with Hermione."

Merlin, Hermione! Sirius thought. She was never going to forgive him if they _actually_ got married in this time.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Hello my darlings! Here is chapter three of little bit. I am so glad that so many of you enjoyed my idea with the house and didn't think it was too cheesy! I am so blown away by the response! Over 60 favorites and nearly 200 follows for only two chapters! Big thanks to my reviewers from last chapter as well: The Butterfly Dreamer, Dragonsrule18, Lcky, animelover5107, twztdwildcat, Guest, anja . quickert . 9, Pwrmom2, Onyx Obsidian, Suzululu4moe, roon0, SereniteRose and 3cheersforidiots. I really appreciate it!

Now, please let me know what you thought of chapter three! And keep a lookout for chapter four (the final installment) sometime next week. You might get an early Christmas present :)

* * *

 **Think I'm a little bit, little bit, little bit, a little bit in love with you**

 **But only if you're a little bit, little bit, little bit, in la-la-la-la-love with me**

Hermione was woken up the next morning by Ursula throwing open the curtains and letting the light stream into the room. "Good morning, Hermione!" She cheered, taking a moment to look at the light dusting of snow they'd gotten the night before.

Hermione was not prepared to be woken up in such a way, sat up slowly, as the memories of yesterday began to pour into her head. She was taken aback by how cheerful Ursula was compared to every other Black witch she knew. Walburga was awful, Narcissa was stoic and Bellatrix was insane. Hermione guessed Andromeda was alright, but there was a coolness to her manner as well. She finally supposed that Ursula was really a Flint, so that must be why she was so different. Still, it made her wonder what happened to cause a family to change so much in just a few decades. "Good morning, Ursula."

"I hope you don't mind, I've made an appointment to take you robe shopping later today, with Belvina." Ursula told her. "There is breakfast in the dining room, and I think that Sirius was waiting to eat with you. He said there was something that he wanted to talk to you about."

Hermione hoped that this meant that he had gotten a hold of the book, and would be able to send them back soon. She was constantly being reminded of how tenuous her position her was, being a muggleborn and all. Phineas Nigellus was quite outspoken, after all.

Still, she supposed that it could be about the kiss that they had shared the night before. It had been a wonderful kiss, and Hermione wanted the memory of it untainted by apologies that Sirius would surely make to her. At least now she could pretend that it was something they both wanted.

Sighing, she slipped on the black dress that Ursula had brought down for her, and made her way to the dining room, where Sirius was sitting with a full English breakfast, and a little house elf that was doting on him. Knowing that she couldn't let her feelings on house elves get back to Phineas Nigellus, she asked for eggs and toast most politely and was sure to thank Titania when it was delivered to her.

When she and Sirius were alone, she broke the silence that hung between them. "Ursula said you wanted to speak with me. Did you get a chance to locate the book?"

Sirius frowned, shaking his head. "No, Phineas Nigellus kept me busy learning the details of the blood wards here at Grimmauld Place. He told me that the house in sentient."

He watched as Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Well that _is_ unusual."

"Tell me about it. He thinks that the house sent us here for a purpose." Sirius was trying to ease her into the conversation topic he was about to bring up, knowing that it would probably shock her.

Hermione looked at him demurely, before prompting him. "Oh? And just what purpose is that?"

Sirius took a deep breath, preparing himself for the blowback that would undoubtedly come from his next statement. "He wants us to get married here. In this time."

"M-married?" Hermione stuttered, all the blood draining from her face. "Oh, Sirius, we couldn't possibly. We've only been fake engaged for two days." She wasn't sure why she was trying to explain it to him, as she was sure that he had the same misgivings as she did.

"Well, that's a perfectly acceptable amount of time to be engaged in this time. He wants us to have the ceremony on Wednesday." Sirius told her, finally meeting her eyes.

Hermione worried her lower lips between her teeth. "Tell him we can't do it."

"I can't do that, Hermione, he's my paterfamilias." Sirius told her, hoping she would understand the concept.

"Sirius, you don't _have_ a paterfamilias. You were disowned." Hermione argued with him, her pupils beginning to dilate from their rousing discussion.

"Well, I can't exactly tell him that can I? He would throw us both out on the street and then we'd be stuck here with no chance of getting back."

Hermione placed her head in her hands, sighing, knowing that he was right. She couldn't imagine making Sirius tie himself to her for the rest of his life. He'd be miserable dealing with such a little girl like her. She knew that she wasn't a glamorous witch that she was sure Sirius would prefer. "We can tell him we will have a hand fasting…one year and a day."

Sirius looked at the top of her head. Was Hermione really upset at the prospect of being with him? Of course she was, he was an old dog, and she deserved someone young and attractive. "That could work." He told her of her plan. Maybe in the resulting year, he could convince her that he wasn't the worst choice of partner.

Hermione looked up at him, guilt in her lovely brown eyes. "That way, next year, you can be done with me. I promise to stay out of your way, and…I will work with you, you know?" She was trying to convey her meaning to him.

Sirius didn't think that he did know what she meant, but nodded anyway. "Alright, I will tell Phineas Nigellus. I am so sorry, Hermione. This ended up being the worst practical joke, and I wish that I'd never gotten you involved in it."

Hermione swallowed heavily, feeling small prickles of tears at the back of her eyes. Of course Sirius didn't want to be fake engaged or really hand fasted to her. She just wished that he wouldn't keep bringing it up. Suddenly, Hermione dropped her head and groaned again. "I've just remembered that Ursula told me she was going to take me dress shopping today. What does a wedding dress even look like in 1898?" She asked Sirius.

He gave her one of those lopsided grins that she'd come to love. "I don't know, but I am sure you will look gorgeous in it."

* * *

Ursula lead Hermione and Belvina through the streets of Islington, which was still just a separate village from London, nothing like she expected it to be. It wasn't small, but it wasn't anything like it was in 1998 either.

When they arrived at the dress shop, Hermione was taken aback by all of the dresses. Ursula and Belvina helped her pick out a few that she liked, and then she went into a little back room to try the first one on. Ursula was gushing with happiness at the prospect of planning a wedding. "Oh, this will be a wonderful trail run before I plan _my_ Sirius's wedding in two years."

"He's marrying Hester Gamp." Belvina told Hermione, who'd emerged in an atrocious white ball gown. "She's not very pretty though. Not like you are, Hermione."

Hermione blushed and Ursula scolded Belvina. "Belvina Black! Do not speak of your future sister in law that way! Not that you aren't beautiful, Hermione. But, I don't think that dress is the one for you." Hermione nodded and returned to the room to try on the next dress. "And how wonderful that you showed up when you did. Just before the solstice. As I'm sure you know, dear, the winter solstice is such an auspicious date."

Hermione didn't know, and made a mental note to ask Sirius why when they returned home. She figured it was some kind of pureblood thing that had faded in popularity over the year. "Oh, yes, it's wonderful." Hermione said, this time in a low cut dress with lace illusion sleeves. "And Sirius and I are so happy that Phineas Nigellus agreed to a handfasting. We also want to celebrate with our friends and family back home."

Ursula gave Hermione a knowing smile, before shaking her head no on that dress as well. Hermione returned to the dressing room a third time. She slipped into a slightly off white dress that hugged her figure and had little off the shoulder sleeves. Looking at herself in the mirror, she knew that this was the dress for her.

Stepping out into the other room, Ursula and Belvina both gasped. "Oh, darling, I think that this is definitely the dress for you." Ursula told her kindly.

Hermione suddenly had tears welling in her eyes. "Oh, I just feel like this is all happening so fast. Sirius only just…proposed and now we are getting hand fasted only a few days later. I worry that I am going to be…trapping him into something that he doesn't want. I just feel like…he could never love me."

Ursula stood and wiped the tears from Hermione's cheeks. "Oh, but my darling, he gave you my ring, so you mustn't think things like that. Surely the ring has given you sufficient proof of his love?"

"Well, it is a very beautiful ring, Ursula, but Sirius is so wealthy, I know that this is a pittance compared to his overall inheritance." Hermione told her.

"Ahh, but don't you know the story of the ring?" Ursula asked. Hermione shook her head no. Ursula gave her a broad smile before suggesting that they move across the road to discuss it once they purchased the dress. "It's a story better told over a cup of tea."

That was how Hermione found herself learning about the courtship between Ursula and Phineas Nigellus. Apparently, they had argued a lot as children, Phineas being annoyed with her, being that she was so much younger than him. Over time though, they both matured and Phineas Nigellus found himself in love with her. Ursula, meanwhile, had grown enamored with the man that Phineas Nigellus had grown up to be.

Ursula had been unable to accept that he loved her, and despite their betrothal, Ursula was reluctant to get married to someone she was sure still hated her. In order to let Ursula know the depth of his feelings, he'd commissioned the beautiful emerald ring, in goblin-wrought silver. "So, the ring was enchanted. It could only be given if the giver loved the receiver, and the ring can only be worn if the receiver loves the giver back. If not, you both would have received quite the nasty shock."

Hermione was dumbstruck. "So Sirius really loves me?" Her heart swelled with the possibility. She wanted nothing more than to race back to Grimmauld Place and wrap him up in her arms. But then, she remembered that even if he loved her, he might not want to marry her. Clearing her head, she asked more questions. "So, is that why I can't take the ring off?"

"Well, it's meant as a sign of enduring love, so you shouldn't _want_ to take the ring off. But once you have the hand fasting, you should be able to remove it, if needed." Ursula told her happily.

Belvina sighed. "Oh, it's so romantic."

"Well, shall we get you back to your affianced?" Ursula asked, sensing that Hermione had a lot on her mind. With the enthusiastic agreement of the younger woman, the three of them headed back to Grimmauld Place.

* * *

Sirius had spent the day looking for the book in the library, still not able to believe that Grimmauld Place would have sent him back to this time. He'd been looking high and low, when Arcturus came into the room, and hadn't stopped pestering Sirius about his relationship with Hermione.

It wasn't long before Phineas Nigellus had joined the conversation. He knew that something wasn't quite right about the couple and he thought that by talking with Sirius, he might be able to suss out the answers.

"How long have you known Hermione?" Arcturus had asked, still very much upset about his bride-to-be's young age.

"I first met Hermione when she was thirteen." Sirius told him, thinking about how she'd stood up to Moony in the Shrieking Shack, and how she'd shown up on the back of a hippogryph with Harry to save him.

"Did you always think that she was beautiful?" Arcturus countered. "Lysandra has got black hair, but she still looks like a little tiny doll. I hate her." He crossed his arms petulantly.

Sirius smiled. "Well, aside from the fact that it would be weird for a 33 year old man to find a thirteen year old beautiful, she wasn't the prettiest teenager. She had teeth too large for her face, and her hair was so bushy and she was very gangly." Sirius told the boy honestly, trying to comfort him. "But she's grown into her looks. I am sure that Lysandra will as well."

"Did you and Hermione always get along?" Phineas Nigellus asked, curiously.

"Oh, of course not! We used to fight quite a lot, about this, that and the other. I am somewhat of a practical joker, and she doesn't really approve. Honestly, I still like to pick fights with her, just to see her angry. She really comes alive then."

Arcturus looked at him slyly. "When did you know that you were in love with Hermione?"

Sirius smiled and without realizing it, he was already revealing his feelings to the two men. "It wasn't until earlier this year. I watched her playing with one of my cousin's children. He's just a toddler. Anyway, it just made me realize…I want that with her." Suddenly aware of his surroundings again, Sirius quickly tried to backtrack. "But, I just don't know…I don't want to trap her into a marriage that she doesn't want."

"Who wouldn't want to marry into the Black family?" Phineas Nigellus asked him with a sneer. He couldn't imagine why anyone wouldn't want a part of such a prodigious family. He himself had the offers of over ten houses, before his parents had decided on Miss Ursula Flint. "In any case, isn't that why you gave her the ring?"

"What do you mean, isn't that why I gave her the ring?" Sirius asked, perplexed.

Phineas Nigellus shook his head at his descendent. "Did you pay attention to anything in your family lessons? Or do they just not teach you our ways any longer?"

Sirius frowned. "It must be the latter. If I'd learned something about that ring, I would have remembered it…mother was a very difficult task master. All I know about it is that you had it specially commissioned for Ursula."

Phineas Nigellus nodded at hearing about Walburga, which had Sirius suppressing a shiver. "Well, that much is true, but didn't you ever wonder why I commissioned such a piece, when there are plenty of suitable rings within the Black vaults?" When Sirius shrugged, Phineas Nigellus continued on. "I got it to prove my love to her. Through our years of courtship, we had both grown fond of one another, and it was a way to prove our love to each other."

Sirius didn't seem to get what Phineas Nigellus was saying, so Arcturus decided to help the two men out. "The ring can only be given to someone who you love and it can only be received by someone who loves you. If either one of you didn't love the other, you would have received quite the nasty shock."

Sirius's eyes widened. "So…Hermione, she loves me?"

"Don't tell me you didn't know that already?" Arcturus practically bellowed. "You guys are so obvious together, how could you not know?"

Sirius just sat there, thinking of all the times that he and Hermione had spent together. Could it possibly be that she felt for him the same that he felt for her? Yes, he supposed that it was possible.

"No wonder the house decided to send you back." Phineas Nigellus tittered. "You would have been married for years without knowing how the other felt otherwise."

"I need to talk to her!" Sirius said, jumping up from the couch he was seated on, and rushed down to the parlor. He'd wait for her there, so that he could talk to her right away when she returned from shopping.

* * *

Sirius didn't have to wait long before the three girls came back through the front door. Sirius stood quickly and came face to face with a bright eyed and rosy cheeked Hermione. She nearly took his breath away.

Ursula and Belvina shared a knowing grin.

"Ladies, if I might speak with Hermione alone for a moment that would be appreciated." Sirius didn't even wait before ushering Hermione into the parlor and shutting the door behind them.

Both of them wanted to speak, but neither wanted to be the first to do it. Finally, gathering his Gryffindor courage, Sirius took a deep breath. "Hermione, I love you." There, he'd just laid all his cards on the table. Suddenly nervous, he felt the need to add a caveat to his pronouncement. "That is to say…only, if you are in love with me too." Realizing that sounded lame, he ran his hand over his face with a groan. He'd never been less suave in his life.

Hermione's face was transformed, although Sirius couldn't see it with his hand over his eyes. She felt that her heart might just burst from her chest. She was over the moon to hear that Sirius loved her back. She supposed the ring had worked perfectly. Grabbing his hand, Hermione pulled it away from his face, so that she could look into his brilliant gray eyes. "Sirius, I love you too." She told him shyly.

Sirius seemed momentarily stunned at her words. "Are you sure?"

Hermione narrowed his eyes. "Of course I'm sure! Now are you just going to stand there after that declaration, or are you going to kiss me?"

Sirius grinned, before dipping his head to capture her lips. As soon as they met, Hermione opened her mouth, letting his tongue press into his mouth, desperate to explore him. It was nothing like she'd imagined, tangling against him in a sweet haze. Finally, with dizzy heads, the pair of them separated, grinning like fools at one another.

"Shall we sit on the couch?" Sirius asked, leading her over to a little loveseat by the window. Hermione sat as close to him as she could without sitting on top of him. Unwilling to be separated from him for so long, Hermione lunged, her lips landing on his again, and pressing him against the arm of the couch.

Sirius obliged for a moment, before gently pressing her back. Panting, he cleared his head, before he began to talk. "Hermione, we should talk. As much as I want you, and I want a family with you…I don't want to trap you into a binding that you don't want."

Hermione bit her lip. "You want a family, with me?" She asked quietly.

Sirius's heart automatically dropped. He should have known that he shouldn't have spoken so fast. "Yes. Whenever I see you with Teddy…" He let himself trail off.

Hermione smiled at him. "I want a family with you too Sirius. I know this is all happening so fast, but I just wanted…well, I don't mind doing the handfasting. It will give us a year together to date and sort things out. And then, if we want to…maybe next year we could get married for real. Or just perform another handfasting…or if you get sick of me, we could go our separate ways."

"I could never get sick of you." Sirius told her, before kissing her on the tip of her little nose. "Alright, so then…we'll go on with the handfasting tomorrow."

Hermione sighed, before pulling Sirius down on top of her on the couch. "I love you, Sirius."

* * *

The handfasting took place the next day in the library. Hermione had suggested it, and Ursula had reluctantly agreed, but she still decorated it beautifully with fresh white flowers and green fabric.

Although Hermione had never imagined being handfasted, she definitely hadn't ever dreamed that it would be happening in 1898 to Sirius, surrounded by his ancestors, who were supposed to all be awful individuals. The three boys all wore black three piece suits, while Belvina wore an emerald green dress. Cygnus was helping his father prepare the ribbon that would bind Sirius and Hermione for the next year.

Phineas Nigellus performed the ceremony, tying their clasped hands together tightly, with a bit of silver ribbon. He spoke few words before asking them to make promises of love, fidelity and friendship to one another. After, he performed a series of complex charms causing the bit of ribbon to disappear from their hands and reappear as two skinny bands of silver around each of their ring fingers.

Afterwards, the family congratulated them; Ursula especially reminded them of how blessed their union was sure to be, seeing as it was such an auspicious day. Then, they went to the dining room and joined the Black family in a huge feast, complete with champagne and treacle tart, which Hermione knew Sirius was partial to.

When the dishes were clear, Sirius and Hermione were a bit awkward, wondering how soon they might slip upstairs to spend their binding night together. Luckily, Phineas Nigellus loudly announced to the table that the binding required consummation to be considered valid, giving Sirius a pointed look across the table. Although it left Hermione blushing, none of the children even tittered at the idea.

Grateful for the knowledge, Sirius politely thanked the family, before taking Hermione up the stairs to the guest room. Hermione was surprised to see that it was the same room that Sirius slept in currently, which made her feel a bit comforted. Sirius set about putting up silencing charms on the room. When he turned back around, Hermione was sitting patiently on the bed.

The white dress she was wearing suited her perfectly, and Sirius had found it difficult to keep his eyes off her all night. Still, he didn't want to push her. "We don't have to do this right now, if you don't want to."

Hermione was touched by how considerate Sirius was to her, but shook her head. "No, I want to do this with you." Her eyes looked like liquid passion in the dim light of the room.

"Well, in that case, as lovely as I find that dress, I would rather see it on the floor." Sirius told her with a mischievous smile.

Hermione gave him a small smile before standing up and turning around, revealing the line of buttons that held the dress together. She pulled her long chestnut hair over one shoulder, revealing the long column of her neck. Sirius felt himself growing hard at the sight - and she wasn't even naked yet!

Feeling the need to touch her, he stepped closer until he could reach the many buttons and began undoing them one by one. He let his lips kiss along the line of her spine that was revealed to him, taking delight in the little moans she was making. Soon, Sirius was frustrated with his lack of progress. "Fucking buttons..." He whispered, before using a cutting spell to cut the dress open.

"Sirius!" Hermione admonished, turning around to face him. "I really liked that dress."

"What? It's not like you will be able take it back with you." He grabbed the fabric at her shoulders, and pushed down, revealing inch after creamy inch of skin, until she was standing in just her knickers. Gooseflesh had erupted over her skin, and her nipples were hard little peaks, either form arousal or the cold, he wasn't sure. "Merlin, you are beautiful."

Hermione smiled at him, but a rosy blush tinted her cheeks. Hermione never thought herself beautiful, always being a bit too skinny and gangly for her liking. "Shall we get you out of those robes?" Hermione deftly removed his jacket and then began undoing the buttons on his shirt.

Sirius just grinned down at her, removing his clothes. He watched as wonder fell over his face as his chest and torso was revealed to her eyes. Hermione watched in awe as the muscles bunched and relaxed under her fingers. She pushed the white shirt off of his shoulders, letting it fall on the ground.

Hermione paused when her fingers met the waistband of his pants. She looked up at Sirius nervously, but he just grinned back down at her. Hermione let her eyes fall back to the pants and she undid the button and zipper holding them up, allowing them to drop to the floor, with his shirt.

With Sirius as naked as she was, Hermione turned and climbed up to the middle of the bed, encouraging Sirius to come join her. Sirius didn't need to be asked twice, and he crawled across the bed towards Hermione until she was enveloped by him.

Sirius pressed his lips against hers, and Hermione immediately wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and marveled at how broad he seemed. She pulled him towards her, sighing as his sparse chest hair tickled against her nipples, making her body feel hot to the touch.

Taking advantage of her open mouth, Sirius let his tongue tangle with hers. Hearing her moan he allowed himself to press more fully against her. The feel of her hot heat of her core against his cock, even through two layers of fabric, had him groaning. Hermione couldn't stop herself from pressing back against him, desperate for friction.

Sirius roughly broke their kiss before trailing open mouth kisses down her neck and to one of her breasts, wrapping his lips around the tight, pink nipple. "Oh Sirius!" Hermione had tangled her fingers into his wavy black hair, holding him to her body. With his hand, Sirius pinched her other nipple, then soothing the flesh with feather light touches.

Hermione needed to feel more of him, so she tried to reach for his boxer briefs, but was unable to reach. Determined, she used her feet to shove the fabric down until he was completely bare. Sirius released her nipple with a pop, before trailing more kisses down her stomach, using his fingers to pull her knickers down her shapely legs.

Sirius let his eyes settle on the small patch of hair on the top of her center, before dipping his head down to kiss her center. "Sirius!" Hermione exclaimed, trying to move away from him. "Please, you don't have to do that." Instead, Sirius gave her a grin and dropped an arm over her hips to keep her from squirming, before dropping his lips to her again.

Using his tongue, he coaxed the little pearl from it's hiding place and swirled his tongue against it once, twice, three times, before letting his tongue slip lower down to her opening. "You are so wet for me, love." He told her, without removing his eyes from the prize. Lapping against her clit again, he used one finger to enter her sex, thrusting it in time with his tongue.

The feel of her tightening around his finger and hearing her moan for more, had Sirius so hard he thought he might burst just from thrusting against the silk of the sheets. He added a second finger to the first, and before he knew it, Hermione was coming apart from his tongue and hands, thrusting back against him.

He took a moment for her to recover before sliding up her body. When his cock nudged against her still sensitive flesh, Hermione's eyes shot open, meeting his. Her pupils were so blown, he could barely see the ring of brown around it.

Taking matters into her own hands, Hermione reached between their bodies and grabbed his cock, wrapping it tightly in her hand. "Ahh, Sirius, so hard, but so soft." Rubbing his cock between her folds, Hermione quickly wanted more, and positioned his tip at her core. "Please Sirius, I want you now."

"My pleasure." Sirius said before easing his way into her inch by inch, groaning at the perfection. She felt better than anything he could have expected. "So tight and hot." Once he was certain she had adjusted to his size, he pulled out before entering her again, both of them groaning at the friction.

Finding a rhythm, they moved together back and forth, again and again. Hermione was grabbing onto his back, looking for purchase, moaning into his ear, feeling his breath against her neck. She was awash in sensation. "So close." Sirius whispered, before bringing his hand in between them to tease her clit. With the sensation, Hermione quickly was sent over the edge into orgasmic bliss, bringing Sirius with her.

He thrust against her a few more times, before rolling off of her, pulling her into the crook of his arm, her face resting against his chest. "I love you." He told her.

Hermione pressed her lips to his chest before answering. "I love you, too, so much." Before long, the pair of them were asleep in each other's arms.

And with them both in sleep's embrace, neither one of them noticed when they were surrounded in blue light.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: Wow! Thank you all so much again - this little short story was so well received. Thanks to everyone who favorite and followed this story. Huge thanks to my reviewers from chapter three: alexandria . arias9054, Fullofpassion09, everlastingtrueromance, dragonsrule18, SereniteRose, Pwrmom2, 5SecsOfLARRYcat, twztdwildcat (haha, I wish I could say I'd thought of that, but it was just a mistake. thanks for the info though!), unicornz . 334, Lcky, laumirot, animelover5107, surugasasa, foreverkake, anja . quickert9, and roon0! Thank you all so much for your kind words!

This is the **final** installment...can't believe how quickly it's gone by. I hope you enjoyed it and have a great holiday! Check out my profile to see what else I am working on, but I am particularly excited about Be Together. It's a Rabastan/Hermione that I hope you might check out.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter four! Happy Christmas!

* * *

 **Come here, stay with me, stroke me by the hair**

 **Cause I would give anything, anything, to have you as my man**

When Hermione woke the next morning, it was just before dawn. She stretched her limbs and relished the soreness in her thighs, remembering the incredible evening she'd shared with Sirius the night before.

Feeling her moving about, Sirius soon woke up as well, wrapping his arms around Hermione and giving her a brief kiss on the lips. "It's so early, let's sleep a few more hours."

Hermione suppressed a giggle, before bringing logic to the situation. "Sirius, the rest of your family won't be up yet. Let's go down to the library and see if we can find the book, so maybe we can actually get back to our proper time."

Although he sighed, Sirius knew it was a good idea, so he stood, and summoned them a pair of robes, after replacing his boxer briefs. Seeing the scrap of white lace of Hermione's knickers, he kicked them under the bed, relishing the idea of Hermione being completely naked under the robe.

With a yawn, Sirius led her down the several flights of stairs to lead her to the library. As soon as they opened the door, Sirius knew that something was different. The library was decorated just like it had been before they had left it. If Hermione wasn't holding his hand, he would have been sure it was all a dream.

Before he could mention it to Hermione, the door burst open, and Harry entered, wand drawn. "Sirius! Hermione, you're back!" Harry exclaimed. The young man looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep in the few days that they were gone.

"How did you know we were here?" Hermione asked Harry curiously.

Distracted, Harry quickly mentioned. "Well, we put a charm on the library, so if anyone entered it, it would set off an alarm." He looked at his best friend with confusion, taking in her appearance, from her sleep tousled hair, to the red love bite on her neck, and the robe that she was wearing. "Hermione, why are you wearing that? Were you attacked?" Then his eyes dipped to where Hermione and Sirius were joined by the hand. "And why are you…holding…hands…" Harry trailed off, before realization dawned on him. "Oh my god! You didn't, did you?"

"Did what?" Hermione asked, trying to seem innocent.

"You and Sirius had sex _with each other_." Harry practically whispered.

Hermione didn't know if she should be offended for herself or on Sirius's behalf, or for both of their sakes. Just when she was about to tell Harry it was none of his business, Sirius beat her to it. "Oh! That's not all we did! Come on." Sirius told Harry, before dragging Hermione out of the room.

In moments they were standing in front of the family tapestry. Harry had paid someone to repair Sirius's face on the canvas after they'd thought he'd died. Now, his face was connected with one Miss Hermione Granger, although their linkage wasn't as strong as the others. Likely because they were only handfasted, Hermione mused.

Seeing Hermione's silly grin when looking at the tapestry had Harry screaming. "Hermione! How could you do something so irresponsible?" Harry shoved Sirius against the shoulder, causing the pair of them to separate. "And you? You should know better! If you even for a minute manipulated Hermione into doing something she didn't want to do…"

All of the commotion had Ginny and Ron running down the stairs as well. Ron was clearly still half asleep, when he asked, "Oi! What's all the racket?"

"The racket?" Harry seethed. "The racket is that Hermione and Sirius got married!"

That had Ron blustering mad, and so Hermione decided that she needed to take control of the situation. "Everyone, be quiet! Now, let's all move to the parlor to have a little tea, and discuss this like the adults that we are." Hermione didn't wait for anyone, but moved to the kitchen to put the kettle on.

When everyone else was assembled, Hermione brought in the tea, and poured everyone a glass. She could feel Ron's eyes on her and she suddenly wished that she had gotten dressed before deciding to traipse around Grimmauld Place. "Hermione…are you naked under that?" He asked her, in his usual uncouth manner.

"I am not going to answer that question." Hermione said crossly, taking her seat next to Sirius. "Now, Sirius and I didn't get married technically, but we were handfasted for one year and a day. If everything goes well in the following year, we will…go from there." Hermione told them, not looking at Sirius.

"But, Hermione, I know he gave you the ring, but it was just a practical joke. I don't want you to get hurt." Harry told her, looking concerned.

Hermione smiled. "I know that Harry, but we were sent back to 1898, and we met with the original owner of the ring, Ursula Black. It has special charms in it so that it can only be given to someone you love, and it can only be worn if you love the giver back."

Harry looked dumbfounded for a moment, but then the wheels in his head started turning. "So wait, you love Sirius…and Sirius loves you?" He asked, truly surprised.

"Yes, that is true." Sirius answered for them, letting his hand rest on top of Hermione's to give her support and comfort.

"But then, why did you have to get married?" Ron demanded. He was clearly the angriest in the situation.

"Wait a minute…have the two of you been carrying on behind our backs this whole time?" Harry asked the pair, pointedly.

Hermione shook her head no. "No, neither one of us had told the other about our feelings until yesterday, actually. But I know that I love Sirius and so that's why I went along with the handfasting. It's not permanent…not yet anyways."

"We got married, because my paterfamilias demanded it." Sirius told them quietly. "But I am kind of glad he did, because otherwise, I don't think I would have ever been able to tell Hermione how I really feel." Sirius let his love show on his face.

"Wait a minute!" Ginny finally shouted. "Am I the only one that's going to ask how you were sent back a century and then returned a few days later?"

Sirius paused for a moment. "Huh, I guess ol' Phin was right." He said with a smile on his face. "He told me that Grimmauld Place is actually sentient. And that the house must have sent us back. I guess it just gave us a push in the right direction."

"A push?" Harry asked. "More like a push off a cliff! It didn't send you back until you were bound together." Harry took a sigh, before turning to look Hermione in the eyes. "Is this really what you want?"

Hermione just nodded. "I am very excited to see where things go." She told her three closest friends. "You don't mind?" She asked tentatively, almost afraid of their response.

"Of course I don't mind. I mean, it will be a little odd, but, I think I can live with my best friend being happy." Harry told her.

"Ron?" Hermione asked. Her other friend had been really quiet through the whole discussion.

"Well…I don't like it one bit." Ron said, looking at Sirius with mistrustful eyes. "But…I guess, if he makes you happy, Hermione."

Hermione was so happy, she quickly stood and hugged all three of them, before giving them a sly smirk. "Well, now that that's taken care of, I am going to go put some knickers on."

* * *

Hermione and Sirius initially took their relationship slowly after the holidays. The announced their intentions to the rest of their friends, and while some people thought it odd – Molly Weasley included – everyone else seemed more than ready to accept the pair. Although no one would have picked the two of them to go together – they were such _opposites_ – but they seemed to fit together wonderfully. The old adage of opposites attracting stood true. Still, no one questioned their love when they saw how hard Sirius could make Hermione laugh or how Sirius's smile would grow soft and true when he watched Hermione playing with Teddy.

At first, they started with dinners once a week, just the two of them, trying to get to know one another better. They mainly stuck to little muggle pubs where they wouldn't be recognized by anyone they knew. Although their friends knew about their handfasting, they weren't ready to reveal it to the entire wizarding world. Sirius quickly learned that Hermione loved mashed potatoes and Hermione quickly learned that Sirius liked good proper ale.

The dates usually ended in a passionate tangle of tongues on the stairs of Grimmauld Place, more often than not caught by a distressed Harry or a smirking Ginny. These dates began happening in more and more frequency, and they began spending nearly every night of the week together. Soon, the dates began ending in passionate tumbles in the sheets, and they quickly learned exactly what the other liked. It was a very pleasurable arrangement for both participants.

By Valentine's Day, Sirius had planned a romantic weekend getaway to Paris. Although he thought it was a little bit cliché, he planned day tours of all the museums – both muggle and magic – that he thought Hermione might enjoy. At night, he planned slow walks along the Seine, holding hands and fabulous private dinners in their hotel room.

By March, Hermione was ready to ask Sirius if she could move into his room with him. Even when they weren't having great sex, she just enjoyed being held in his strong arms.

By May, Hermione and Sirius were ready to go public with their relationship. It was finally time for Harry and Ginny's wedding, and the pair attended together. They spent the whole night dancing in each other's arms, ignoring the curious looks of Weasley relatives unknown. The next day, their relationship earned them a spot on the front page of the Daily Prophet, below the fold.

They began venturing out into the wizarding world together once the cat was out of the bag, and ignoring the questions thrown at them by paparazzi. Of course, there were terrible articles written about them. People thought that Hermione was a tart just looking for a piece of the Black family inheritance or wanting to destroy one of the remaining pureblood families. Sirius was a cradle robber who used his prestige and money to trick Hermione into a relationship. Hermione and Sirius never bothered with the rumors.

By June, they began quietly making arrangements to get married. For real this time.

By August, Walburga agreed to release the sticking spell that kept her portrait on the wall. Apparently seeing her only remaining heir and the scion of the Black Family cavorting around Grimmauld Place with a _mudblood_ for a wife, was just too much of a strain for her aged heart. She'd tried every insult she could think of, but once she realized that Hermione really wasn't going anywhere, she gave up. All the inhabitants of Grimmauld Place were happy with the arrangement.

Their relationship wasn't all perfect, after all. They did have fights every now and again, mostly due to the Hermione's need to be right always, and reluctance to admit when she was wrong, or Sirius's penchant for fast motorbikes and his Black temper.

By Hermione's twentieth birthday, they'd had one of their biggest fights. Sirius had spent a ridiculous amount of galleons on Hermione's birthday present, a set of first edition arithmancy books that were so rare they should be kept in a museum. Hermione didn't even want to think of all the good that amount of galleons could have done, and she accused him of being frivolous and wasteful. Sirius accused her of being uptight and ungrateful, and he was very hurt that his thoughtful gift wasn't well received.

But they couldn't stay mad at each other forever. By the end of the evening they'd already made up and spent the rest of the evening, exploring what kind of naughty sex you could get up to in a library. Honestly, it ended up being a lot hotter than either of them could have ever imagined.

By November, Hermione accepted that she wasn't just late, she was pregnant. It seemed that in their passionate encounter on her birthday, they'd forgotten about the contraception charm. Hermione had been nervous to tell Sirius, tears in her eyes at pushing something like this on him.

Sirius took one look at her face, and pulled her onto his lap, and wrapping his arms around her. When little tears began to leak from the corners of her eyes, he dutifully wiped them from her cheeks. And when she finally told him what it was that was upsetting her so much, he'd given her a wide grin and a shower of kisses all over her face. "I wasn't lying when I said I wanted a family." He told her, unable to wipe the smile from his own face.

He dutifully attended her doctor's appointments with her, exciting to learn about their future child. They were waiting to see what the gender was, but Sirius had good money on it being a boy. He held her hair back when she got sick in the mornings, and always made sure to have the fruits she loved around the house. At night he would rub the palm of his hand over the nearly non-existent bump on Hermione's stomach and whisper all the things he was looking forward to doing with the child.

By December, all of their friends and family assembled into the library at Grimmauld Place. It had worked so beautifully before, Hermione couldn't imagine getting married anywhere else. Even with the slight expansion charms on the room, it was a much tighter fit this time. The room was decorated again in white flowers and green fabric. Harry and Ginny stood as witnesses to the happy couple and Kingsley Shacklebolt – minister of magic – agreed to perform the binding.

Hermione wore a loose fitting white dress that was actually very similar to the one that she'd worn before. She was self conscious about her swelling body, and didn't want anyone to realize that she was pregnant.

But, when she entered the library, she and Sirius locked eyes, and everything else, all the insecurities and people and noise seemed to fade away, until it was only them left. When Kingsley began the soul bounding, Hermione was both surprised and pleased to feel Sirius's magic playfully teasing her's. It was later commented that it was one of the strongest bonds that Kingsley had ever performed.

Afterwards, they enjoyed a large meal, cake and dancing with their friends. Harry and Ron each took her for a turn around the dance floor, telling her how happy they were that she was happy. She even picked Teddy Lupin up and danced around the room with him, the little boy giggling and his hair color flickering between dark brown and aqua blue.

After many hours of well mannered frivolity, as Minerva McGonagall would call it, they had one last stop before they could go and enjoy their honeymoon together. Headmistress McGonagall had given them permission to return to Hogwarts, and after one short Floo trip, they stood in front of the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black.

"Hello ol' Phin." Sirius told the older man, giving him a cheeky grin.

"Young Sirius and Hermione." The wizard said, his eyes narrowed at the pair.

"We just got married for real." Sirius told the portrait proudly. "You are looking at the newest member of house Black. And…she's a muggleborn."

Phineas Nigellus hissed at the word. "I knew it! I knew it all these years that you weren't who you said you were." His vitriol was mainly aimed at Hermione.

"But you were there in my bag the whole time that we were on the run. You knew I was muggleborn that whole time. Why didn't you say anything?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I had hoped that time had corrected itself. That such an act wasn't possible." Phineas Nigellus scoffed. "After all, would you have believed _me_ if I told you that you would be transported back to 1898 and marry Sirius Black, a man that I believed to be dead."

"No, I don't suppose I would have." Hermione admitted to the portrait and to Sirius.

"In any case, I hoped that if I didn't say anything it wouldn't come true. I thought, perhaps if I said something, it would be the impetus that would send you back to sully my family, you filthy muggle." Phineas Nigellus spat at her.

Hermione wasn't bothered in the least. She just smiled up at the portrait. "Well, I am glad that we got sent back to you. If _you_ hadn't ordered us to get handfasted, then I probably would never have told Sirius how much I love him."

"And I never would have approached Hermione." Sirius added.

"I can't believe you would do this to your family." The portrait finally told Sirius, with an annoyed look on his face.

Sirius just frowned. "You made the ring…so you know that we love each other, otherwise it wouldn't have worked." Sirius said, wrapping his arm around Hermione's shoulders. "Why is it hard to accept that I am with the woman I love, when you had the same thing?"

The portrait didn't respond, but the couple wasn't expecting to get Phineas Nigellus's approval. Hermione sighed. "Well, we are happy together, and that's what's important."

Sirius dropped the hand on Hermione's shoulders and placed it on her waist instead. "Oh, there's just one more thing, Phineas Nigellus. Hermione and I are going to have a baby. It's due Walpurgis Night. A most auspicious occasion don't you think?"

Phineas's eyes widened in surprise, but he still didn't acknowledge the statement. "We have a few names in mind." Hermione said with a smile.

"Yeah, and Phineas is really high up on the boy's list." Sirius told the portrait with a wink.

That certainly got Phineas Nigellus's attention. While he was blustering away about the outrage of such an event, Hermione and Sirius just giggled, before heading towards the floo.

"Well, Mrs. Black – Merlin, I've been waiting a long time to say that – would you like to head to our honeymoon destination?" Sirius asked, slowly guiding her towards the Headmistress's desk where their international portkey was waiting.

Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "Are you finally going to tell me where we are headed?"

Sirius just gave her one of those infuriating smirks. "I guess you will just have to grab on and see where it takes us." He teased.

They both grabbed onto the old top hat, and in an instant, they were transported to a chalet in the Swiss Alps, very exclusive and very private. Once they were all alone, Sirius wasted no time in getting Hermione naked and on the bear skin rug in front of the fireplace. Sure, it was a little cliché, but it didn't stop the newlyweds from enjoying their first real night together as a married couple.

Once he'd kissed her into a tizzy, he guided her down onto the white fur of the bear skin rug, encouraging her to get onto her elbows and knees. With her back arched, showing the curve of her spine, his pretty, young wife was spread out in front of him, he could see every part of her, from the roundness of her arse, to the wet pink of her sex, the slight swell of their child in her womb, and the softness of her breasts.

He could hardly wait to be inside of her. He quickly dropped to his own knees, taking his place behind her, stroking his cock once or twice before lining up behind her, and entering her with a mutual groan. With his hands on her hips, he pulled her towards him, thrusting into her warm heat again and again.

He let his back brush against her back, using one hand to caress her breast, pinching her nipples, to Hermione's delight. Feeling her fluttering and tightening around him, he moved his hand down her body to the little pearl at the top of her sex, rubbing in tight, circular motions, until she was crying out her release. Sirius found he couldn't hold out much longer, and with only a few more thrusts, he was emptying himself into her.

In the afters, he laid down next to her, pulling her body into the curve of his own, loving knowing that she was all his. "I love you Mrs. Black." He whispered into her ear.

Hermione shivered against him, his breath tickling her. "I love you too, Sirius. Now, you wore me out, let me go to sleep." She could practically feel Sirius smirking behind her. He loved it when she bossed him about.

They passed all of January in the chalet together, leaving very rarely, instead content to spend their time together reading or playing in the snow or making love together on every available surface.

By May, their first child, a boy was born. Although Hermione was kind of hoping for a Walpurgis Night baby, she would settle for a mid May child instead. She was certain that her child would grow up to be impressive no matter what day he was born on.

While they did toy with naming the child Phineas, they decided that it brought up too many negative connotations. By the same token, they completely turned their backs on giving their child a star name altogether. Sirius initially wanted to name the boy James, but decided he'd better leave it to Harry, who, now that he was married to Ginny, was very keen on starting a family of his own. In the end, the settled on Sirius's other best friend's name. Remus Harry Black was the apple of his parents' eyes with curly black hair and bright blue eyes.

Hermione often looked at the great emerald ring on her finger. Although it wasn't something that she would have chosen for herself in terms of style - it was a little bit ostentatious - it meant the world to her now. And even though Sirius did not have it specially commissioned for her, she still loved the story of _her_ ring - with all it's twists and turns, practical jokes, time travel, and Black family blood wards - as it was proof that she and Sirius loved each other, much more than a little bit.


End file.
